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Standards will be voluntary

Those glitzy highrises dotting Portland's South Waterfront district can spell trouble for birds, which frequently die after flying into windows.

Surveys coordinated by the Audubon Society of Portland have found 35 species of birds, including native warblers, hummingbirds, flycatchers and sparrows, died after window collisions in downtown Portland since the fall of 2009.

But there are ways to design buildings to minimize bird fatalities. To help builders and architects, the city of Portland teamed with Audubon and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to develop a Resource Guide to Bird-Friendly Building Design.

A draft version of the guide, which will be voluntary, will be introduced Thursday, June 14, at a forum in Northwest Portland. The session will be 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Keen Footwear, 926 N.W. 13th Ave.

Keynote speaker is Bruce Fowle, a New York City architect. A panel discussion will feature Christine Sheppard, bird collisions campaign manager for the American Bird Conservancy, AnMarie Rodgers, legislative affairs manager for the San Francisco Planning Department; and architect Alan Osbourne.